But Who?
by GordonLachance17
Summary: Jane used to be friends with the popular girls at school. But that was a long time ago. Now they know her secret, a secret so big it could destroy her if anyone found out. But secrets never really stay secret for long, right? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Vern Tessio was in love. He was in love with one of the prettiest girls in all of Castle Rock. She was so pretty, that she didn't even have a boyfriend yet because every guy was far too afraid to ask her out.  
Her name was Jane Williams.  
Usually Jane kept to herself. She wasn't exactly popular at school which surprised many of the students.  
The popular crowd was jealous of her beauty and for this reason they didn't want her to hang out with them.  
But they all knew a secret. It was a secret that would destroy her if anyone found out. Everyday Jane watched over them to make sure they didn't tell anyone. No one could know.  
The reason the popular girls knew, was only because they had once been friends with her.

It had been the summer of 1959 when the group was all friends. The clique included Marsha Allerby, Cyndi Dove, Rose Eberhart, Clara Dean, and the leader, Betty Baggins. Betty was Jane's best friend. The two shared multiple secrets but when the time came they found out her biggest secret yet, Jane knew she needed to trust them.  
The whole group was over at Betty's house on a weekend and they were talking about the usual. Boys, gossip, and secrets.  
Jane was already nervous. Betty could read her like an open book when it came to hiding things. If Jane tried to deny any secrets, it wouldn't be a secret for long. She hoped with all her heart she was making the right choice by deciding to tell them this. At least it would test if they were real friends or not.  
"So Jane, any more secrets?" Marsha suddenly asked while Jane was in day dream mode.  
It was time to tell. There was a moment's silence as Jane ran through different phrases she could say to them. But all that she managed to croak out was, "Yeah, I guess."  
Marsha nodded as if to say, "So continue on."  
"Um, well."  
"Oh come on Jane. We've told each other secrets a million times. Don't worry." Betty said.  
This somehow wasn't reassuring to her at all. But she had made a decision to tell them.  
"Ok fine. I-I, I like someone."  
The girls all screeched immediately in sync.  
"No way, who?" Clara shouted and jumped up a bit.  
"Chris." It came out much easier than she had expected it to.  
"Which Chris? Wait let me guess. Chris Jackson. No, Chris Lewis. No, Zimmerman."  
Jane shook her head. Beads of sweat were sliding down her face and her heart was booming.  
"What Chris then?"  
There was a pause until everyone realized.  
"Oh no. It can't be. Chambers." Rose said "Chambers" like she was talking about animal droppings or a rodent like a rat.  
Jane was too scared to even nod.  
The girls were all silent for a moment.  
"I can't believe you would go for a stupid, no good Chambers kid! What do you see in him? He wears disgusting clothes that haven't been washed in god knows how long! He's stupid and will never graduate! I can't believe this!" Betty was in hysterics. She got up of the floor and motioned for the other girls to stand. Jane was left on the floor. Betty pointed a finger at her bedroom door and said, "Get out" very calmly.  
Jane didn't object. She wanted to get out as quickly as possible and go home and cry.  
So she stood up and headed towards the door.  
"And don't even think about sitting with us at lunch tomorrow." Betty said as Jane was leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since that day back in 1959, Jane stayed away from the clique. She only watched them from a far, making sure no one knew about her crush.  
Yes, even after 3 years, she still had a crush on Chris Chambers.

But one day as school was starting, her worst nightmare came true. Someone found out.

She was walking into the building with her books wrapped in her arms. From her left, Betty was approaching with a nasty grin plastered on her face.  
"Shit" Jane thought.  
"Well look who it is," Betty sneered.  
Jane rolled her eyes and tried to ignore her.  
"Still have a crush on that no good Chambers?"  
But instead of responding maturely like she had planned on doing, Jane took a step back and clenched her hand into a fist. Then with all her might, she swung it at Betty's face.  
The pressure hit we right in the nose, immediately sending blood flowing out of it.  
Betty dabbed at her face and looked at the blood on her fingers.  
Then she looked back up. But her focus wasn't on the girl who had just hit her. She seemed to be watching someone behind Jane.  
Jane turned to look.  
"Oh shit" she said out loud.  
It was too late. Chris was already walking passed the two girls.  
But before he could continue on, Betty grabbed him by the shirt, she was tougher than she looked, and said, "This little lunatic here," gesturing to Jane, "likes you. Looks like you two will be perfect for each other."  
With that, she unclenched her bloody hand from Chris' shirt and stomped off.  
By some miracle, no one else seemed to have noticed the whole fiasco. But that left Jane and Chris standing quietly next to each other while everyone else walked and talked around them. It was a very uncomfortable environment.

Chris looked at Jane with a confused look on his face. It looked he was trying to decipher her and why she would possibly like him, "What did she do to you?"  
Jane didn't know what to say. She felt sick. Before being able to even say goodbye to Chris, she ran off into the building and afterwards the bell rang.

Chris sighed and picked up Jane's bag that was still lying on the ground. She'd probably need it for class.


	3. Chapter 3

Chris walked into the school, following a bunch of students who didn't want to be late. He didn't really care. All he wanted to know was why this girl liked him. He never thought that a girl could ever possibly like him. What would anyone see in him? No one knew the real him. Maybe if people did know who he really was, he would be likable. It didn't hurt that he was pretty good looking anyway.  
But people tended to look past his good looks, just because he came from a bad family.

He held onto Jane's bag as he entered the building. Fortunately he had his first hour of the day with her so he could give it to her then. Unfortunately they also had that class with Betty.

As he walked through the halls to get to class, he swore to himself that he would talk to Jane. He would find out what made Betty despise her and they would just have a conversation, no matter how uncomfortable.

...…...

The classroom atmosphere was awkward when Chris walked in late carrying a bag. The whole class stared at him as he veered through the seats to hand it to Jane. He could feel Betty's sneer a few rows behind him as he leant down to Jane and whispered, "I think you'll need this."  
She was grateful, he could tell so she mustered a smile and said, "Thanks."  
"We should talk after class," Chris added with a whisper and then he walked towards his seat.  
"Thank you Chambers. That's your third tardy this week. I'm going to have to let your parents know," the teacher, Mrs. Julie bellowed.  
Chris sank into his chair and quietly said, "God damn it" to himself.  
If his parents found out there would no doubt be a beating.  
Jane turned to face Chris who was sitting a few rows diagonal to her.  
She wore an expression of apology while the rest of the class silently snickered. Everyone knew he got beatings and they just loved the idea of a teacher causing him to get another one.

Mrs Julie continued talking to the class afterwards. She was saying something about there being a class project. But neither Jane nor Chris was listening. They were both thinking about each other.


	4. Chapter 4

The school day was finally over. Jane was eager to get out and so was Chris.  
She had just remembered that Chris wanted to talk to her, when he showed up.  
"Hey," he smiled enthusiastically.  
"Hey," she smiled back.  
"Do you have time to hang out?"  
"Uh, yeah I think so." Jane said.  
"Ok great. Come on. I wanna show you something."  
Then he led her to the tree house.  
"You know Gordie, Teddy and Vern right?" Chris asked on the way.  
"Yeah, I remember them. Gordie's the writer. Teddy's the crazy one and Vern is the scaredy cat?"  
"That's them," he laughed, "And I'm the peace keeper I guess. But I'm also known as the low life around this town, as you know."  
Jane sighed and nodded. She hated the people in this town. They didn't even know him and they judged him.

They reached the tree house, "This is our hang out. We are basically here all the time, when we aren't stuck at school." Chris pointed to the thrown together house.  
"I love it," Jane said. And Chris could tell she meant it.  
"Ladies first," he said to her.  
She smiled and walked towards the ladder.  
She was hesitant at first.  
"Don't worry, you can just go up. The guys aren't here yet."  
So she pushed at the entrance. She stepped up into the wonderland. Empty cigarette boxes were strewn all over and coca cola bottles were standing on a home made table.  
Chris came up after her. "So what do you think?"  
She laughed, "It's awesome."

"Ok so to ask my previous question, what did Betty do to you?" Chris asked.  
"It's a long story," Jane sighed.  
"I like long stories," Chris winked, sending chills down her spine.  
She gave in and talked about the summer of 1959 and how she had been best friends with all the now popular girls. Then she reluctantly went on to describe how she had told them she had a crush on him. And then they didn't want to be her friend anymore.  
Chris was patient and nodded the whole time. He didn't laugh or be rude in any way.  
"So I guess I was wondering why you liked me." Chris said.  
"Well, I don't know. I guess I saw what other people failed to see. I knew you weren't that no good kid. I saw you and how you were always nice to everyone you came across. I know you just act tough because you've been through a lot."  
Chris smiled, "Wow, I've always wished someone would understand me besides my friends."  
After a pause, "Oh, I should probably tell you. Vern has had a huge crush on you for like forever." Chris tried to hide a smile.  
"Really? Oh."  
"Don't worry about it. He likes a bunch of girls, especially the pretty ones."  
"You think I'm pretty?" Jane blushed.  
"Doesn't everyone?"  
"I don't know. I don't exactly have friends anymore."  
Jane looked broken. Chris felt horrible.  
"Hey, I'll be your friend." Chris comforted her.  
Sure, Jane wished he was more, but him being her friend was perfect for now.

Jane smiled and observed Chris. He was beautiful. His hair was a medium long golden blonde and was hanging over his forehead. His arms and hands were strong and tan. His eyes were a mossy green and his lips were just perfect. Even his nose was adorable. In a way he didn't look like a 15 year old. In a way he looked much older but in another way he looked younger.  
She was interrupted from her trance by a loud and sudden knocking below her.  
"Come up" Chris shouted.  
And up came a skinny boy holding a journal, a floppy haired kid, pushing up his glasses on his nose, and a chubby, anxious looking kid. Gordie, Teddy, and Vern.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dude, what is Jane Williams doing here?" Teddy asked once he noticed the girl.  
Vern stood behind him, awestruck and speechless. Gordie was up front and he immediately, politely said hi to Jane.  
"I knew you always had a thing for her," Teddy said, punching Chris on the shoulder. He then laughed.  
Chris completely ignored him and said to Jane, "that's teddy for you. You get used to him."  
Jane laughed. Gordie was already sitting next to her, writing calmly and quietly in his journal. Vern was now uncomfortably standing in the corner, probably deciding what he should say to her.  
Jane felt bad for him. He must always have had a tough time talking to girls.  
By now, teddy was done cackling so he sat down on the floor.  
"This girl doesn't look like she plays gin rummy." teddy turned to Chris. Then he turned his attention back to Jane and said, "Why don't you go back home and play with your Barbies."  
"Shut up Teddy," Chris said protectively of Jane.  
"That's okay Chris." Jane smiled sweetly, "Hey Teddy, if you ever say again that I play with Barbies or dolls, I'll kick you in the balls, hard."  
Chris and Gordie immediately started laughing.  
Teddy picked up a cigarette, "Oh, feisty. I like this girl Chris."  
Jane sat back smugly. She hated when guys thought she was girly. She didn't even dress girly. She was like the only girl in school who wore jeans.  
"So you play gin rummy?" teddy wondered.  
"Of course. Deal," Jane challenged.  
Teddy didn't hesitate. He got out the deck of cards. Chris played as well. Gordie didn't because he was busy writing and Vern was still in the corner.

Chris looked up at Jane as Teddy dealt and gave her a look as if to say, "I didn't think you'd like gin rummy. I think Teddy might love you now." He smiled and she smiled back. She fit in well with this gang.


	6. Chapter 6

Jane won the game, leaving both Chris and Teddy speechless.  
"Damn, I always win," Chris pretended to pout.  
"Aw poor Chris. I'm sorry. Want me to go buy you an ice cream? Maybe you'll feel better." Jane fake comforted him and Chris laughed.  
"I want ice cream." Vern offered for the first time since Jane was here.  
She raised and eye brow but smiled when she noticed Vern was just joking around.  
He still liked to eat, but at least he didn't act like a 12 year old anymore.

The rest of the day was spent doing nothing. The boys seemed happy they had a new member. Especially that she was a girl. And not only any girl, but she was the most beautiful girl in all of Castle Rock. Her skin was tan and she had long arms. Her hair was a soft long wavy brown and her eyes were an unusual shade of blue. All these traits combined made her look Hispanic, but she wasn't. She was a white girl, though she was often mistaken for something else.

That night, Chris walked her home. It was already pretty late and they had school the next day. Her parents would probably be wondering where she had been the whole time. But she wasn't too worried because she was too happy.  
The day had been so perfect, there was no problem for her erasing any memory of Betty.  
It all seemed so distant and long ago. All she remembered was being with Chris and the rest of the boys.

When they reached her street Chris stopped and turned to face Jane. His gorgeous eyes stared into hers and he put his hands are her arms.  
The tingles exploded all along her skin.  
He then leant in and hugged her. They stayed like that a few moments with the cool evening air swirling around them.  
Chris pulled back and pushed Jane's long hair behind her ear.  
"Bye" he said, "See ya tomorrow."  
And all Jane could reply with is, "See ya."


	7. Chapter 7

The next day at school, Jane ignored everything around her. She was just way too happy to even care what other people were saying about her, even Betty.  
At lunch that day the popular girls laughed at her as she walked passed them in a state of utter carelessness.  
At the back of the lunch room she took a seat next to Chris, Teddy, and Vern without even thinking about it.  
"What are you doing?" Chris asked her as if she were crazy.  
"What? Can't I sit with my new friends?" she asked defensively.  
Chris sighed, "Do you want people to never talk to you again as long as you are here? That's 3 more years."  
"Didn't I already tell you that I have no other friends? I don't care what other people think of me. I don't even want those other freaks to talk to me."  
Chris sighed again but didn't say anything. He just sat back and tangled his fingers together, swirling his thumbs in a circular motion and looking down at them.  
"What's wrong?" Jane asked immediately.  
"He does that every day," Teddy interrupted.  
"You don't eat?" she directed at Chris.  
He looked up and let a grin explode on his face. She hadn't seen Chris like this yet. He was always so serious.  
"Do you want to eat this shit?" Chris motioned to the pile of something on the school's lunch tray.  
She laughed appreciatively.  
She was about to ask why he didn't bring his own lunch then, but she already knew why.  
With his family being like they were, it would be hard to get something decent to eat.  
She desperately wanted to ask him where he ate and when but she fought the urge.  
Chris sat back again, looking worn out. If Jane hadn't noticed it before, under his muscles and well built body, there was some weakness. There was a skinny, sad little boy under the laughing, tough kid that he was, or at least tried to be.  
And Jane felt sad for him. She felt sad for him because of all the things he had to endure.  
She wished she could have been there for him earlier on.  
The 4 sat in silence the rest of the lunch period until Betty and her crew showed up. They were like little mini girl versions of the Cobras, Jane noticed.  
Betty was the leader with her cheese blonde hair, just like Ace. The rest of the girls obeyed her every move like dogs.  
It was almost laughable how these girls were trying to act. They were wasting their life away, thinking Betty's words were law.  
"Well look who we have here girls. It's Jane with her no good Chambers and the other 3 dweebs." Betty laughed and her little puppets behind her laughed immediately in sync.  
Jane wanted to slap Betty so hard, she wouldn't be able to see straight anymore. It looked like her wound from yesterday had already heeled pretty well. There was almost no sign of every having been punched in the nose. Jane took that as a sign that it was time for a new injury. And she began shaking with fury.  
But before she had a chance to try something stupid, Chris stood up and just dragged Jane away by the arm.  
"Oh are Chambers and Williams a couple now? How adorable." Betty cooed as they disappeared when Chris turned the corner into a hallway.  
"Jane, it's not worth it. Don't let them bother you. It's not worth your time." Chris told her sternly. He was already so mature, for being a teenage guy.  
Jane simply nodded in response and walked back into the lunch room with Chris. She was still shaking. So much for ignoring what people said.


	8. Chapter 8

"Quiet down students!" Mrs. Julie bellowed. It was the last period of the day. Chris was just walking in and Jane was behind him.  
"She's the one who needs to quiet down," Jane whispered to him.  
Chris laughed and headed to his seat. Jane followed and sat in hers.  
"Ok students, last class I told you about a project you will need to complete for next week. I'll pass out a sheet of instructions and you will be assigned a partner."  
The last sentence started Jane's heart beating at a million miles an hour. Be assigned a partner. She hated working with people on projects. She preferred getting it done quickly and by herself.  
Jane scanned the room. Chris was her first pick. Working with him would be fun. Everyone else in that class she didn't really know. This made her nervous. And she really hoped she wouldn't be put with Betty. That would be a disaster.

The papers were passed out. Jane was beginning to sweat out of nerves.  
Then Mrs. Julie spoke. Jane drowned out her voice for the first few lines. She was pairing in alphabetical order. Starting with A and pairing them with the next person. That meant... Jane couldn't figure out who she would be with.  
Then she heard Betty's name called.  
"Betty Baggins, you will be with Chris Chambers."  
Jane's heart was stuck in her throat and she couldn't breathe.  
She looked at Chris. He seemed relaxed enough but when she looked at Betty, she knew this partnership was not going to work out. Betty's face was glowing red. It looked like a baboon's butt.  
Jane turned back to the front of the room, flabbergasted.  
She waited with anxiousness for her name to be called, and finally it was.  
"Jane Williams. You can work with Alice Weber."  
I looked around the room and saw the smiling Alice at the corner in the back. Jane smiled back and it wasn't a fake smile. She had good luck because Alice was probably the only decent girl in the class. She hadn't spoken to her much of course, but she was known for being nice. She also didn't have many friends which made Jane feel understood.  
"Ok everyone has their partners then? Good," Mrs. Julie said loudly. "For the rest of the class period I want you all to read your Romeo and Juliet novels."  
While getting out her book, Jane looked back at Chris and gave him a look of apology.  
He shrugged it off but she could tell he wasn't comfortable.  
She sighed for him. And she was a little jealous of Betty for getting to work with him, although she knew full well they both didn't want to work with each other.


	9. Chapter 9

The bell rang. Chris walked up to Jane.  
He didn't say anything. But that didn't matter because just behind him emerged Alice. She was really jumpy and looked super excited.  
"Hey Jane. I've already got our whole plan for the project worked out. Can you hang out after school tomorrow?"  
"Uh, yeah I think so. I'll check with my parents."  
"Okay," she replied, still excited.  
Then she walked out of the room, leaving Jane and Chris behind.  
"Wow, she's excited." Chris laughed as he began to leave the room.  
"Thanks for stating the obvious," she laughed back. Then she stopped and said in a serious tone, "hey, can you come over today?"  
"definitely." was his simple reply.  
So the two walked to Jane's house together, silently. What Jane like about there newly built relationship was that they didn't have to always talk around each other. They liked just being around each other.  
"So, come on in," Jane said to him when they reached her front door.  
"Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with this. I mean since I'm a Chambers..." Chris seemed uncomfortable.  
"Christopher! It's fine. My parents don't give a rat's ass about what the other people in town say."  
He shrugged and went in.  
The thoughts running through his mind were thoughts of how much cleaner and neater this house was. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. He could never imagine living in a place like this.  
The couch was perfectly white and spotless. The kitchen had a spotless counter top and a clean fridge. And the biggest difference between this place and where he lived, there weren't beer bottles strewn all over.  
"Sit." Jane ordered Chris.  
"Where?" he asked.  
"On the couch silly." she laughed.  
He pointed at the spotless piece of furniture in front of him, "this couch?"  
She nodded, trying to figure out why he was so reluctant.  
"But it's so... Clean." he offered.  
She laughed and filled water into a cup from the kitchen faucet. There was a bar in the kitchen where one could look over into the living room.  
She walked over to Chris and handed him the water.  
"Yeah, my parents are extremely clean and organized."  
She sat next to him, "I was wondering. Did you end up getting a beating from your dad yesterday since you wet tardy?"  
"No. Apparently Mrs. Julie forgot to call or something." Chris said.  
"Or maybe she wanted to give you a chance."  
"I doubt it," Chris responded. He was used to pain and hate.  
Just then Jane's cat walked into the room.  
"Hey Nixie!" She said enthusiastically, "Hey, meet my friend. This is Chris."  
Jane picked the cat up of the floor and handed her to Chris.  
"You aren't allergic are you?"  
He shook his head, "I love animals."  
He reached out and took Nixie from Jane's hands.  
Nixie was a beautiful cat. She was completely black and soft.  
"Wow her eyes are like poisonously green." Chris said.  
Jane laughed. "Her teeth are extremely sharp too and for some reason she doesn't like going into the sun. That's why I call her the vampire cat."  
Chris laughed and cradled Nixie in his arms.  
"You're really good with animals. I think she likes you." Jane smiled.  
"Yeah," Chris replied.  
The moment lasted a while. Chris just sat there holding the vamp cat and Jane watched.  
He had this careful way with things, as if he thought everything was delicate and if you were too rough, it would break.  
She saw the pain in his eyes but also the happiness of being here at the moment.  
She smiled.  
Chris looked back up at her with his piercing green eyes.  
"You and Nixie have the green eyes in common." Jane whispered. She didn't know why she was being quiet.  
He finally let the cat go.  
"I have an idea," Jane said. "Let's bring her to the tree house to meet the guys."  
"Sure," Chris answered, "But are you sure she won't turn to dust in the sun?"  
Jane laughed, "Positive."


	10. Chapter 10

Jane carried Nixie the whole way and she felt Chris' eyes on her. She wasn't sure if he was admiring her, or the cat. But she didn't care at the moment.  
The tree house stood triumphantly in front of them as they reached it. The sky was a brilliant blue and there were just a few meager clouds hanging in the air.  
"Wanna scare the hell outta the guys?" Chris asked.  
"How so?" Jane loved pranks or things that made her laugh.  
"Open the latch and put Nixie through. Make sure the guys don't see you."  
Jane obeyed and slowly opened the entry, letting the cat slip through.  
She stepped back and waited.  
Sure enough, a few seconds later a "What the hell?!" came booming. It was Teddy.  
Jane and Chris bent over and started laughing until their stomachs ached.  
After a few moments, Teddy came down the ladder and gave the two a look as if to say, "Are you insane?"  
"What is that thing?" teddy asked.  
"That's a cat teddy. A vampire cat," Chris raised his eyebrows when he said "vampire cat" and acted like he was serious.  
"You're crazy," teddy said to the both of them.  
"Oh no Chris, I think Teddy's craziness is contagious." Jane made herself sound worried.  
"Hell yeah it is. I warned Chris, Gordie and Vern about it when we became friends." teddy said.  
The joke was finally over so the 3 of them climbed back into the tree house.  
"So what's her name?" teddy asked.  
"Nixie. But I call her a vamp cat though. She has unusually sharp teeth and she hates the sun." Jane answered.  
Gordie was silently sitting in the tree house. Gordie was doing the usual, writing in his journal and Vern was... Not there. Typical. As a new member to the gang, Jane had quickly learned everything about them, one being that Vern was always late.  
Chris and Jane sat down beside each other. Chris got out a cigarette, lit it and pulled out a deck of cards, "I challenge you." he directed at Jane. She smiled. There was no way she was losing.  
She looked up to see where Nixie was, and to her great surprise, she was on Teddy's lap and he was petting her and grinning.  
"Teddy, are you okay?" Jane asked with real concern. It was not normal for him to be this gentile with something.  
"Yeah, why? I think your vampire cat likes me."  
He was right. Nixie seemed to be clinging to him.  
Weird.  
Just then, Vern came knocking.  
"God Vern, learn the secret knock!" Gordie shouted.  
"Sorry sorry, just please let me up!" he shouted back.  
Chris took the home made table off the entry and opened the door.  
"Guys you're never gonna believe what I just heard! Sincerely. This is unbelievable!" Vern said, climbing in.  
The 4 of us turned to him to find it what he was so excited about.  
"Just let me catch my breath." he sputtered.


	11. Chapter 11

"I ran all the way home!" Chris began singing.  
"Shut up," Vern said.  
Chris laughed, "What is it?"  
Vern took another breath, "I just heard something. You're never going to believe this."  
"Just tell us Vern!" Jane shouted.  
"Ok, well I was walking by the candy shop in town to buy some pez. And I heard some girls talking so naturally I went in to see if I knew them. Well guess who it was? Marsha and Rose, those popular girls. So I was hiding behind a row of gum to hear what they were talking about," Vern took a breath and continued, "and you'll never guess what they were saying."  
Gordie, Chris, Jane, and Teddy all stared at Vern and waited for the answer. Chris was impatiently smoking a cigarette.  
"Yes?" Jane asked.  
"They were talking about Betty and stuff. So I waited to see where it would lead. Then they started whispering to each other so it was hard to understand. So I snuck a bit closer. And then I heard Rose say "Chambers". So now I was curious. And this is the part where it got interesting. Rose told Marsha about how when he had been over at Betty's the day before she had noticed her journal sitting wide open on her desk. And in that journal, Betty had written "Chris Chambers" with a heart around it."  
Everyone stopped moving. Only Teddy's chair creaked as he tried to straighten himself. But everyone stared at Vern, not believing it.  
Chris dropped his cigarette and gaped. Jane got a sickening look on her face. Gordie looked up from his journal with wide eyes and Teddy was frozen. Then he started laughing uncontrollably, still holding Nixie in his lap.  
Chris sat back and tried to soak it all in.  
"Are you sure that's what you heard?" Jane asked.  
"Of course I am," Vern said defensively.  
"How is that possible? Betty hates us all." Gordie said.  
Everyone was silent again.  
"Oh god guys. I have to work with her on the project tomorrow." Chris exclaimed.  
Teddy laughed even louder.  
"Shut up Teddy," Chris said angrily, "Shit."


	12. Chapter 12

Nobody knew what to say anymore. Jane was just utterly shocked at the news and Chris looked confused. The only person who was making any noise was Teddy and that was because he was silently laughing. He was so immature.  
Jane was not happy. How dare Betty say all these horrible things about Chris and then it comes out that she likes him?  
Poor Chris. At least he could pretend he had no clue about it. Jane was happy Chris didn't like Betty back. She knew he couldn't and wouldn't unless Betty sincerely changed.

It was almost 8 now so Jane headed home. She had to pry Nixie from Teddy's hands because some how he seemed reluctant to let her go. And Nixie didn't want to go either.  
"Jane! Wait," Chris shouted from behind her as she left the tree house.  
She turned around to see him running towards her.  
"I gotta tell you something." he said.  
"Yes?"  
"Look, I like you a lot ok? I'm happy that we became friends and all so quickly. And I don't know if this is sorta soon to say, but would you go out with me?"  
She was speechless but she mustered a, "Really?"  
Chris nodded and blushed slightly.  
"Yeah definitely," Jane said with a smile.  
"Good," Chris replied.  
"Bye Chris. See ya tomorrow."  
"Not if I see you first," he said with a wink.  
Jane laughed and walked off into the distance with Nixie. The sky was glowing orange already and it was warm for being evening.  
No one could have been happier than Jane at the moment, she thought.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day at school the atmosphere was slightly awkward. When Jane saw Chris walking into Mrs. Julie's classroom, for a few seconds she completely forgot that they were going out now. She shivered. The words sounded so foreign to her. She had never had a boyfriend before. No guy had ever even asked her out.  
Now as she took her seat, she looked at Chris and smiled. He smiled back and winked at her. Gosh, that wink. Just him doing that made chills run down her spine multiple times in a row.  
Mrs. Julie came confidently striding through the door as Jane turned back to the front of the classroom.  
Mrs. Julie was a pretty old woman. Her hair was gray and always up in a bun. She strictly wore only long brown skirts and white blouses and she was strict. She wasn't exactly mean, but let's just say the students didn't love her to death.  
"Students, quiet down!" she yelled.  
Everyone jumped slightly in their seats and straightened themselves.  
Jane looked around the room. Se noticed someone missing, Betty.  
She turned to Chris and motioned to Betty's empty desk.  
He shrugged in response but Jane knew she saw relief on his face. This meant he wouldn't have to work on the project with her that day.  
Mrs. Julie continued talking to the class. It was something about the project, but Jane wasn't focused. Her mind was far else where. It was very unusual for Betty to be absent or tardy. Betty was actually known for always being on time and she had only been absent twice in all her past school years.  
Jane wrinkled her forehead and wondered. Could it possibly have something to do with Chris? Maybe she was too nervous to work with her crush on the project so she had stayed home, pretending to be sick. Possibilities ran through Jane's mind.

Throughout the rest of the class period, Mrs. Julie had asked the students to work with their partners on the assignment. Jane got together with Alice and tried to focus but she kept looking over at Chris. The teacher had told him to work by himself for now and hopefully Betty would show up the next day. Poor Chris. He was smart of course but the project was pretty tough without a partner considering there had to be a presentation and much research done in the library.  
"Did you hear Jane?" Alice asked suddenly, unexpectedly.  
"Huh?" Jane asked rudely.  
"Did you hear about Betty?" Alice asked with clarity this time.  
"No what?" Jane was curious as to why she was gone.  
"Well apparently she's home crying. The secrets out that she likes Chris," Alice vaguely motioned to Chris sitting at the back of the class room by himself.  
"Oh, wow." Jane pretended she hadn't known.  
"Yeah. One of her friends saw it in her journal. Now everyone knows and she's too afraid to come to school. Her little posse ditched her because she likes him."  
Jane's head bolted up at the last sentence.


	14. Chapter 14

Jane wasn't sure she was hearing correctly. Was it really possible for the most popular girl in school, to lose her friends just like that?  
It was unbelievable and for a moment Jane wasn't sure whether she felt bad for Betty or not. Her instincts told her not to feel bad because Betty had thrown her out 3 years before and now karma had come back to bite her in the ass.  
"And now she's at home, not daring to come to school. Plus, she would be embarrassed if she has to work with Chris, since he knows now too." Alice kept talking.  
Jane was considering telling her that she was going out with Chris now. But she realized that would make things more chaotic. She didn't the whole school knowing that especially when they knew already Betty liked him.  
"Wow," Jane couldn't say much else.  
"So did you ask your parents if you can come over?"  
"Yeah, I can. But hey, do you mind if maybe we go somewhere else instead. See, I'm friends with these guys and they have a tree house and it's a great hangout. Only if you want of course."  
Alice immediately nodded, "Definitely. Sounds cool."  
"Awesome."  
The two continued working for the rest of the class period. Chris was still working alone in the corner and Jane couldn't stand to see it. Betty shouldn't have ditched him. After all, she had a crush on him.

At the end of the class period, Jane left with Chris.  
"Hey kid," she grinned at him.  
"Hey there," he smiled back and slung his arm over her shoulder.  
"So I'm working with Alice on the project today. She's coming to the tree house if that's okay."  
Chris stiffened for a second.  
Jane knew what he was thinking, "Don't worry Chris. She's not like the others. She's nice."  
"That doesn't mean she likes me."  
"Chris, you're a likable person." then she realized something and she grabbed Chris' arm from her back and tossed it back in his direction.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
The two were in the hallway and students were bustling in every direction.  
"They can't know we're together," Jane whispered and Chris nodded, not having noticed.  
"Ok I'll see you at the tree house today. Please don't worry about Alice, she's nice." Jane said walking away.  
Chris sighed, not knowing whether he should believe her or not.


	15. Chapter 15

School was over.

Chris walked out of the building remembering now that Alice would be accompanying him and Jane to the tree house.

He didn't understand his fear of her, or rather not fear, but nervousness.

Maybe it was because how hauntingly nice she was to people and how overly joyful.

"Hey Chris, wait up!" Jane was running towards him with Alice by her side, who was of course grinning.

The two girls came to a stop next to him.

"Hey Chris," Alice smiled.

"Hi Alice," he replied politely.

Jane raised an eyebrow as if to say, "I told you she's nice."

The three of them walked to the tree house. Alice was rambling on about the school project and something about her new puppy.

Chris tried not to look irritated but he honestly wished this girl wasn't there.

"Oh look, the tree house," Jane exclaimed overdramatically when it came into view. She too was slightly annoyed by Alice now.

"Eee-heeeee. Vernnnnn."

The sound was coming from the tree house.

"Teddy," both Chris and Jane said at once.

"How did they get here so quickly?" Alice asked.

Chris shrugged, "They always do."

He knocked twice, "Let me up you wet ends."

The door was opened almost immediately by Teddy.

"Why hello Chambers."

Jane followed behind Chris with Alice by her side, who appeared to have lost her grin.

"You okay?" Jane asked.

"Not really." She looked kind of pale.

"Why not?" Jane wondered, wrinkling her forehead.

"Well, I'm kind of afraid of Teddy."

Jane was shocked. Especially that Alice would admit it so easily.

"Don't let him scare you. Sure, he's a bit strange, but he isn't scary." Jane assured.

Alice didn't look quite reassured by it, but she went up anyway.

Gordie was, no surprise, sitting with a journal in hand, but he looked up when the girls entered.

"Another girl?" Teddy exclaimed, as if having one already was enough.

"This is Alice, Teddy. We're working on a project together." Jane told him and flashed him a look to tell him to be nice.

He sat down.

Gordie was staring at Alice though, no longer paying attention to his journal.

"Hey," he said to her and watched her flash a huge grin towards him.

He already liked her.

Chris and Teddy seemed to notice because Chris was stifling a laugh and Teddy was about ready to screech with laughter.

Gordie quickly looked back to the journal, hoping his friends would have the decency not to mention anything.

Vern he wasn't worried about one bit. He was oblivious to anything. He was just sitting in his corner again, feeling awkward.

There was silence within the group.

Jane broke it, "So wanna work outside a bit?" She directed her question at Alice.

"Yeah, sure." Alice was grinning again, probably trying to hide how nervous she was.

The two got up, leaving the four guys in the tree house by themselves. Jane swore that when she looked at Gordie for a split second, she saw disappointment.

Down below the tree house, the girls set their book bags down and began planning.

But Jane was focused on another thing, "I think Gordie likes you."

Alice looked up, disoriented and confused, "What?"

Jane laughed, "I'm serious. I mean, in general he is a shy person, but he doesn't usually have problems speaking up more."

Alice was doubtful, but she didn't mind the idea either.

"Please I just met the kid about two minutes ago," she said.

"So?"

"So, I think it's impossible."

"It isn't." Jane assured, "I know."

That was the end of the conversation. They started talking about the school project, planning ideas, writing things down, and for minutes, taking breaks to sit around and do nothing. The guys were still in the tree house, playing gin rummy, and smoking. The usual for boys around their age in Castle Rock.

"Do you think Betty will show up at school any time soon?" Jane asked,

"Good question. I don't know. What's Chris going to do about it?"

"Ignore it probably. What else? I'm going to ignore it too. Did I even tell you that Chris and I are together now?"

Alice smiled, "No, but I figured."

Jane nodded, "Well anyway. It's all so hectic. That girl has hated me ever since she ditched me, and as far as I knew, she hated Chris too."

Alice shrugged, "Things change."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone. I'd like to thank SufferingInSilence for reviewing and favoriting my story. It's because of you that I am updating now. **

Walking back home with Chris that day, I was quiet. I knew why. I was angry at Betty. I didn't understand how she could go on and be so cruel to Chris while she liked him. How could she possibly think that would make him like her?

One part of me wanted to give her another chance. I felt bad for her. But another part of me couldn't help but dislike her. She deserved to lose her friends, so she could see what I had gone through.

"Chris, I don't know what to think anymore."

"I don't either."

We continued walking. It was already getting dark outside and I didn't want to get home too late.

"I can't believe that this ended up happening. Betty and I were best friends once. It's amazing how things can end up changing so quickly."

Chris nodded.

I didn't talk until I got to my house. We both stopped in front of it and said goodbye to each other. It was a weird day. I was tired and so was Chris. So we hugged, before I turned towards the front door and headed inside. I saw the Chambers kid's silhouette before he too disappeared down the street.

I let my mind wander to all the events of the past few days.

I remembered Vern coming into the tree house, gasping for air, telling us about what he had overheard. I wished that that had never happened. Life would have been so much easier if Vern hadn't been at the candy shop that day. If only he at least hadn't been there at that time, or if he wasn't such a snoop, or even if Marsha and Rose hasn't decided to talk about Betty's secret at that location. There were so many ways that it could not have happened, but it had.

I sat on my bed and pondered. I couldn't even focus on my homework assignments that I hadn't finished. I thought of Chris, Betty, even Gordie and Alice.

I admired Alice, how she looked so positively at the world. She seemed to swallow every negative thing, and just ignored it. I wished that I had the ability to do that. She was always so joyful and happy and excited. I wished I could be like that. But I wasn't.

That night, I fell asleep quickly, which was shocking considering how many things had been going through my mind. But I slept dreamlessly until the next morning when my alarm woke me at 6:30.

It was a new day, and I tried to look at it like I knew Alice would, positively, with a smile on my face. And miraculously, it worked.

All previous thoughts faded away. I was ready to take on the day. I would even try to give Betty another chance.

At least, I decided I would try to fit inside of her shoes. I knew I would have hated it if the whole school knew about something considered awful in this town, liking Chris Chambers. I knew it would have been horrifying to be hated by everyone. I didn't have it as bad as she did, even if I thought I knew how she felt. She felt like Chris felt, hated. And that gave me a sick feeling.


	17. Chapter 17

Betty's P.O.V

I was humiliated as I walked to school.

Everyone now knew about my secret and I didn't belong to any group of friends anymore. I was on my own.

The streets were silent and quiet and it was misty outside. The air didn't feel or smell refreshing at all. I felt sticky going into the school building. My hair sprayed hair became frizzy and I walked inside, trying to avoid everyone.

But that was almost impossible.

"Look it's the Chambers girl."

"Here she comes."

"Hey, where's your boyfriend?"

Those were all the comments I tried to avoid, but couldn't. They were all around me, swarming me, threatening to crush me. And I felt sick to my stomach.

I wondered how this could all happen so quickly. One minute I'm surrounded by friends. I am worshipped. And the next second, people give me dirty looks and snide comments.

"Hey Betty." I heard it from the behind. But it wasn't a nice greeting. It was a greeting filled with sarcasm and a sneer.

I turned around and low and behold the person standing there was Marsha Allerby.

I tried to ignore her and turn away but she just followed me through the school, "How is Chris doing? Have you seen him lately?"

She was laughing and I wanted to turn around and smack her but I knew that never brought anything good.

"Are you going to answer her?"

Rose had just come up behind me as well.

I just sped up and walked to my class room, holding back tears.

This was my new life, and I didn't think I could handle it.


End file.
